The man who holds the Israel-Palestine file at the State Department, Hady Amr, is not working on a comprehensive peace plan, but on incremental steps to improve the situation on the ground, several Israeli, Palestinian and American sources told me.
Why does it matter: US presidents have been in office for decades, hoping to reach a historic peace agreement. President Biden does not see this as feasible in the current circumstances.
- With Israel-Palestine on the White House’s list of priorities, the issue will be dealt with primarily by the State Department, where Amr is deputy secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs (unlike Barack Obama, Biden declined to appoint a special envoy for Peace in the Middle East).
- Secretary of State Tony Blinken has stated that he does not expect a Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, Amr was given the task of building trust from the bottom up.
- Based on my conversations with a dozen current and former Israeli, Palestinian and American officials, Amr seems to be the embodiment of this more pragmatic approach.
Amr was the “bottom-up” guy in his four years of addressing the Israeli-Palestinian issue during the Obama administration.
- He has worked closely with the Israelis to advance projects such as 3G networks for Gaza or West Bank sewer systems.
- During the 2014 Gaza war, Amr worked 24 hours a day to redistribute all US assistance to Palestinians in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- Amr has returned to implementing higher-level policies – often between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Secretary of State John Kerry – in a very difficult political environment.
The story behind it: Amr was born in Beirut in 1967 and grew up mostly in New Jersey and Virginia.
- An economist and foreign policy expert, he joined the Department of Defense during the Clinton administration, spent time in the private sector, and then joined the Brookings Institution in 2006, establishing the Doha Center.
- Amr returned to power during the Obama administration, first in the Department of Homeland Security and then as Deputy Middle East Administrator at the United States Agency for International Development.
- In 2013, he was brought in by Middle East peace envoy Martin Indyk – and former Amr chief in Brookings – to work on Palestinian economic issues. Amr remained until the end of Obama’s second term.
- He was a foreign policy adviser to Biden’s campaign and was involved in its communication with the Arab-American community.
What are they saying: Gender. Yoav (Poli) Mordechai, the former coordinator of the Israeli government in the West Bank and Gaza, says he found Amr a knowledgeable professional who did not engage in political arguments, but rather wanted to do things.
- Israeli Deputy National Security Adviser Reuven Azar, who was a close ally of Amr while serving at the Israeli embassy in Washington, found him pragmatic, humane and focused on improving the living conditions of Palestinians, says a source familiar with the thought. to.
- An Israeli official who has spoken to Amr since his appointment describes him as intelligent, with a very sober vision of what can be achieved at this time.
The other side: Palestinian officials have told me that they have been impressed by the Amr based on their commitments so far.
- “I always joke that the new American envoy will never know the difference between Sheikh Jarrah and Kafr ‘Aqab [two neighborhoods in East Jerusalem]”said a Palestinian official.
- “He knows. I haven’t spoken to Americans in years, and finally there’s someone listening.”
Game status: Amr is developing plans to re-engage with the Palestinian Authority, revoke Trump’s policies and resume financial aid to the Palestinians, probably starting with $ 75 million already allocated by Congress for aid and development projects.
- These issues are at the top of his to-do list until the March 23 Israeli elections.
- The Amr will face two short-term political challenges: resetting US policy on West Bank settlements without triggering a fight with the Israeli government and developing a policy on Palestinian parliamentary elections scheduled for May 22.
- He has already made calls to officials on both sides, including the Israeli ambassador to Washington, the Israeli deputy adviser on national security, the Palestinian prime minister and the Palestinian intelligence director.
What’s next: Amr’s world debut will take place at an international donor meeting at the Palestinian Authority on February 23 to discuss steps to improve the Palestinian economy. Israelis, Palestinians and members of the international community will follow closely.
Not worth anything: Due to unusual circumstances, Amr wears at least two other hats beyond his role as deputy secretary.
- Without a special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the Amr will represent the United States in formats such as the Quartet, which includes diplomats from Russia, the UN and the EU. That group met Monday over Zoom.
- Amr is also the head of the de facto US mission to the Palestinians since the US Consulate in Jerusalem was merged by the Trump administration into the embassy in Israel in 2019.
- Palestinians have stopped almost all communications with US diplomats at the embassy at that time, so the Amr will be the key point of contact for Palestinians hoping to communicate with the administration.
Former and current US officials praise Amr knowledge of the ability and ability to advance difficult issues and say he was a mentor to the young foreign service officers who worked with him on the Israeli-Palestinian case.
- Indyk, Amr’s former boss, tells me that he is “the right person for these times, because he knows the mechanics, the concerns and the sensibilities of both parties, and his task is to improve the situation and that is based on his experience.”
Bottom line: Amr has a much lower profile than others who held this portfolio, most recently Jared Kushner. But this is in line with the more modest goals of the Biden administration.